She has taught poetry, writing and theater classes around the US. She has partnered with outside organizations to lead workshops and to be an artist in residence at various schools. Watson has spent over 20 years as a teaching artist throughout the country. In the future she hopes to publish adult fiction and poetry books in addition to her young adult and children's books. While she was in school she published her first book. She moved to New York in 2005 where she attended The New School to study creative writing and art therapy. Watson describes herself as a teaching artist, having spent twenty years teaching poetry and theater before becoming a novelist. As a senior she also assisted in teaching poetry to underclassmen. While in high school she participated in a mentorship and has since returned to mentor others at her former high school.
This was also when she wrote her first play, which her middle school produced as their spring show. In middle school, she wanted to be a lawyer for a time. From a young age, she knew she was interested in writing and was encouraged to pursue this by her teachers and family. Sandra Cisneros' The House on Mango Street was one of the formative works of her childhood.
When she first read poems by Hughes in elementary school, Watson felt a strong connection to them and sense of herself, her family, and her neighbors reflected in his work. She loved poetry from a young age and read the work of poets like Maya Angelou and Langston Hughes. She was a member of Antioch Missionary Baptist Church where she recited poetry on holidays and special occasions. Watson attended Vernon Elementary School, Binnsmead Middle School, and Jefferson High School in Portland Oregon. Her mother's family is originally from West Virginia. Watson was born in Paterson, New Jersey and grew up in northeast Portland, Oregon after her parents' divorce.
0 kommentar(er)
